From ad47fef7a940f3ee55e6a9424f0b1133a025725e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: rra Date: Thu, 1 Feb 2018 15:17:38 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] test for long article --- content/long-article.md | 181 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 181 insertions(+) create mode 100644 content/long-article.md diff --git a/content/long-article.md b/content/long-article.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..66d54f365 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/long-article.md @@ -0,0 +1,181 @@ +Title: Social Media Critique +Category: long-read test +Slug: federation +lang: en + +> This is in the end what Silicon Valley tries to prevent at all cost: +> resistance and exodus. How can such a momentum be unleashed? + +So aside from the discussion of who listens (or didn't listen) to whose +opinion it can be interesting to have a closer look at action and momentum. + +Three projects caught my attention and I think could be an interesting +case for this 'next steps' discussion: + +Mastodon (2016) en Conversations (2014) and Peertube (2015) * + +All three are projects that during the past twelve months have somehow +reinvigorated (the work on, attention for) their underlying protocols. +Protocols that have been proclaimed dead or unsuccessful for many years. +And probably will be for more to come. + +The first one, Mastodon (https://joinmastodon.org/), you may have read +about or even tried out. It is essentially a twitter clone / +alternative. Technically it is based on Ostatus, which is a protocol to +distribute +status updates across networks. Ostatus is the protocol that powered +early 'alternative 2.0 style' social networks such as Friendica and +Lorea. The latter was a product of and important site of organization +for the Spanish Indignados and 15M movements. Mastodon also supports +ActivityPub which is the likely successor of Ostatus as a protocol for +further ongoing work on so-called federated publishing. The interesting +thing is that Mastodon managed to attract a good chunk of the recent Twitter +refugees. These where mostly voices which aren't white, loud or extreme +right wing and for those reasons felt themselves increasingly out of +place on twitter. Mastodon communities managed to involve so many of +these people by focusing on developing tools for community moderation, +content warnings and the ability to block other instances in the +network. As a result (the english language) Mastodon became a site that +is predominantly populated by the queer, PoC, left and artistic, or +anyone that would otherwise be at risk of being on the receiving end of +the Gamergate-style interactions on twitter. The decentralized nature of +mastodon has created a culture of 'thematic mastodon servers (see +https://instances.social/list) that have become a large part of what +makes the network interesting and relevant to its several hundred +thausand users. + + +Conversations (https://conversations.im/) is a messaging application +that is based on the very old XMPP protocol. This is a chat protocol +which has at one point also been the underlying technology of both +Google and Facebook chat before they closed it down and made it +proprietary. From the onset Conversations focused on a combination of +user friendliness, security and ultimately visual design to be on par +with mobile messengers such as whatsapp and telegram. The work of +Conversations has reinvigorated the XMPP protocol. Partly because it +focused on implementing the double-ratchett encryption algorithm almost +immediately after it was open-sourced. This is the modern userfriendly +end-to-end encryption algorithm developed by Moxie Marlinspike for +Signal and licensed to companies like Whatsapp. Another effect of the +work of Conversations is that the decades old protocol has been updated +in the span of a few years to work very well for mobile usage. For me +one of the interesting aspects of the development of Conversations is +the role that modern thinking on UIs, design and user friendliness +played in its popularity. This especially becomes apparent in the very +technical and awkward world of XMPP software. The developer has +mentioned multiple times that he 'bases' his design on that of his GAFA +'competitors'. Apropos tactical media, this project's appropriation of +corporate design, yet very clear and +solid political stance (see https://gultsch.de/objection.html) leading +to an increase in popularity and community involvement is an interesting +development. + + +Lastly, Peertube (https://github.com/Chocobozzz/PeerTube) is an attempt +at making the hosting of video content accessible to small +organizations. The sheer amount of infrastructure and thus capital +required to set up an alternative to the monopoly position of Youtube, +forces any project trying to replace Youtube to use peer-to-peer +technologies. Peertube does so by trying to implement WebTorrents. Like +the older 'BitTorrent' protocol it is based on, WebTorrent tries to +mitigate the sheer amount of data and bandwith involved with exchanging +online media, by making sure these are streamed from many sources at +once. Unlike torrents, which need separate applications, WebTorrents run +in familiar web browsers. One could say the conceptual forbearer of this +approach was a project called Popcorn Time (2014). An app that convinced +many with its good UI and design to do 'Netflix-like' streaming on top +of the torrent network. Again this is something that lead to a +reinvigoration of the decaying (use-wise) torrenting protocol. (I'd also +argue though, that Popcorn Time was simultaneously the nail in the +coffin for torrenting because of the individualistic streaming mentality +built into it. This also meant the definite end of what remained of +-collectivist?- seeding/sharing culture on public trackers.) + +The position of the Peertube as a viable alternative or successful +project is the most tenuous of the three. However, one might argue that +our definition of success in this context should also be readjusted - +away from the Silicon Valley, venture capitalist sense of success using +metrics like usage counts, market cap, patent value etc. By nature of +being built upon open, compatible and federative technologies, +developments happening in all three projects could, and probably will, +end up supporting one another. They do so to the extent that one project +could even become an integral part of the other. As an example both +Mastodon and Peertube use the same underlying ActivityPub, allowing one +to become the underlying video delivery function of the other. As was +the case with Friendica, Lorea and Mastodon, projects might stop but +then become stepping stones and inspirations for newer generations of +projects. In this sense definitions of success should consider the +quality of longer term technological ecosystems within larger +socio-political contexts. + +So the striking things for me to take away from these projects are: + +All three projects have managed to reinvigorate 'decaying' protocols in +large part through their focus on UX, language and interestingly design. +Which seems to me a huge opportunity for the arts which has been left +largely unused in the first round of social media critique. Perhaps the +model of artistic production in this domain should move away from the +artists being on the forefront, sensing out emerging tendencies and +taking the spotlight by creating mostly harmless critical and +speculative works +around these tendencies. Next steps for artistic social media critique +should instead take a much more humble and supportive role contributing +expertise, time and exposure to people working in and with these ecosystems. + +All three projects are based on federation. Which is the idea that +various actors making up a network decide to cooperate in a collective +fashion. Distributing responsibility and power as they do so. The future +of social media has to be federated or there won't be any (for those +privileged enough to retreat..). I think the case of Mastodon, where +servers in the Ostatus federation are experimenting with blocking +hostile content altogether from other servers in the federation (while +still maintaining technical compatibility) are interesting experiments. +For one, the debates over on-line harassment and fake news show that the +grand 'electronic agoras', where one can find anyone and everyone +clearly aren't conducive to productive interchange of ideas. Perhaps +smallish, self caring communities are a good answer to the profit driven +model of infinite interconnectedness. + +Lastly, I think it is no coincidence that two out of three of the +projects have Germans leading development and all three are European +based projects. I guess the following is anecdotal and partial evidence. +Yet, I've not seen Google and Facebook run full page advertorials in +leading daily newspapers except in the German ones. Ostensibly, part of +an attempt on their side to prevent mass user exodus out of discomfort +with the platform. It is in part German historical sensibility that +leads to this kind of sensitivity on the issues of privacy, but it is +also a sensitivity that is actively nurtured in public discourse. No +Silicon Valley apologies are required for there to be scepsis. At the +same time the European context apparently provides good enough living +conditions for people to risk investing time in this kind of work. Risk +which is also partly mitigated by initiatives such as German Prototype +Fund and other European funding streams. However, testament to the fact +that these projects have healthy communities and are part of wider +ecosystems of support is that all projects finance themselves from +diverse revenue streams, user contributions being the main one. + +So I'd say next steps for a social media critique would be to be more +involved in (and involve more) these communities. To use positions of +power to create opportunities for people working on these projects. +While the center of development of these projects is Western-Europe they +have many contributors outside of Europe as well, that could benefit +even more from such opportunities. At the same time, doing close +readings of the technical underpinnings of these media will also improve +understanding of what is (not) going on. Now obviously all this was a +news flash from within a very specific filter bubble, but actually from +there 2017 was a very promising year for alternative media. + +> I still believe in vital methods to mass delete Facebook accounts. +I'd say start doing so, but help your friends. Use your network effect +to transition together to different kind of media. This is slow and +laborious so mutual support is important. The time is always right, but +now more than ever. + +* these are the dates of the project's source code first appearing in +public, they are still actively updated and used. + +greetings, + +Roel + +